Better communication: Officials will meet four times a year to discuss construction and traffic issues and Transport Quebec will communicate more often with North and South shore mayors.

The decision was particularly welcomed by Longueuil mayor Caroline St-Hilaire. “I often didn’t find out about construction work until it had already started,” she said.

Public Transit: Extra parking spaces will be added to several train stations to encourage commuters to leave their cars and take public transit.

An additional $33 million will be spent by the province to encourage public transit use. Also, commuters who buy an annual pass will get a discount for 2015.

New Technology: By the end of 2014 users will be able to get specific traffic alerts from Transport Quebec by using 511.

Transport Minister Robert Poeti explained how it would work: “Let’s say you live on the West Island, you can put the route in your wife’s phone and get real-time traffic warnings that might help you save time.”

Officials hope all these efforts will ease the traffic headaches. Until then, Montreal commuters are asked to be patient.